People had different opinions on the candidate for Governor-General of Pingliao.
The Minister of War Wang Jiayan recommended Lu Daqi for the position.
The Minister of Personnel Qiu Yu recommended Yuan Jixian.
Minister of Revenue Xie Sanbin thought Ma Shiying was more suitable.
The Minister of Rites Huang Jinze believed that the current Governor-General of Ji and Liao, Wang Yongji, could be the right person.
Chongzhen looked around and finally his eyes fell on the chief minister of the cabinet, Fan Jingwen.
"Doesn't Lord Fan have anyone to recommend?" Chongzhen asked.
Fan Jingwen replied calmly: "The civil and military officials in the court are all virtuous. No matter who serves as the governor of Ping Liao, I and the cabinet will fully support him!"
Fan Jingwen's meaning was very clear. He would not recommend anyone to be the Governor-General of Pingliao, but he would support whoever was the Governor-General.
He was the first to express his support for the pacification of Liao, but he did not recommend anyone to serve as the Governor-General of the pacification of Liao.
It seems unreasonable in the eyes of ordinary people, but it is very reasonable in the eyes of Chongzhen and all the big and small foxes in the court.
Fan Jingwen was the chief minister of the cabinet and the head of the civil officials.
The officialdom is a battlefield.
As long as you want to do practical things for the court, you will make mistakes no matter how cautious you are.
It's the same as doing housework.
Those who wash dishes will break the dishes, and those who cook will burn the pot.
Do more, make more mistakes; do less, make fewer mistakes; do nothing, no mistakes!
Fan Jingwen's position and power as the chief minister of the cabinet were the pinnacle that an official could reach. Anything above that was just a nominal position without real power.
Although the pacification of Liao was a major event, it seemed like a war on the front line, but in reality, there was also a game of power within the imperial court.
The battle is won or lost on the front line.
The struggle for interests and power within the court.
The worst thing to do on the front line is to change generals at the last minute.
The same is true for the imperial court. If the prime minister is temporarily replaced, the internal impact will be no less than that on the front line.
Fan Jingwen’s top priority is to make fewer mistakes or no mistakes. Only in this way can he avoid falling out of the center of power and avoid chaos in the court.
Others are different.
They still have room to climb.
Pingliao is the opportunity!
Chongzhen was well aware of this political environment.
He looked at Gao Shiming, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, and said, "Write down the names of the people recommended by the ministers. I will consider them carefully."
"yes!"
Next, everyone discussed the number of troops and horses needed to be mobilized to pacify Liao, as well as the money and food needed.
Of course, these numbers are just starting numbers.
Once the war machine starts running, it cannot be stopped and money needs to be thrown into it continuously until one side has no money left.
After a long discussion, the cabinet chief Fan Jingwen gave three figures: "Your Majesty, this expedition to Liaodong will require at least 120,000 infantry and cavalry, 30,000 naval forces, and 5 million taels of silver."
"How long will five million taels of silver last?" Chongzhen asked.
"If we only pay the soldiers' salaries and food wages without considering the pensions, this money can probably last for twenty months," replied Xie Sanbin, the Minister of Revenue.
"Twenty months!" Chongzhen's heart was pounding.
What you fear will come to you.
The imperial court had been in deficit before, but fortunately, Wang Zhixin's mining income served as a subsidy.
Now a new gap has emerged. If we want to fill it, we have to add more tasks to Wang Zhixin, or find another way.
It is unrealistic to add more tasks to King's Heart.
Since the mining began, Chongzhen has received petitions from officials in Jiangnan every day, all of which accuse Wang Zhixin of oppressing local gentry, abusing his power for personal gain, and seeking revenge...
In addition, there was another crime that caught Chongzhen's attention: inciting the people to riot!
When Chongzhen saw this charge, he was not angry but rather happy.
He saw the surging public opinion and the people's determination to rise up against the oppression of the gentry.
Although this move would cause local unrest, it also undermined the local authority of the gentry.
To pave the way for the future imperial power to go to the county...
The pressure he is under now is already too great, and he cannot be given any more tasks.
Since we cannot add more tasks, we have to find other ways to increase income.
The 3% profit from currency reform is certainly considerable, but minting coins takes time and cannot be raised in a short period of time.
After calculating, Minister of Revenue Xie Sanbin said, "Your Majesty, if we divide the five million taels of silver into two years of expenditure, we will need to spend two and a half million taels each year. The Ministry of Revenue cannot make up for the shortfall in a short time!"
Chongzhen sneered, "Great, you guys are doing a good job of serving me! Last year we were in deficit and couldn't recover Liaodong, this year we are in deficit and still can't fight. If we keep having deficits, can we just give up Liaodong and settle for the Central Plains?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down!" Everyone knelt down.
"I'm not angry," Chongzhen sat back on the throne, "The deficit is easy to deal with, it's nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure!"
"The construction of my mausoleum can be put on hold for a while, and the money used to repair it can be used for the war in Liaodong. In addition, the salaries paid to the princes can be delayed, and the princes can suffer. I will bear the blame!"
"Your Majesty, we are incompetent. Please forgive us!" Everyone knelt on the ground and began to kowtow.
It would have been better if they didn't say those words. After they said them, Chongzhen became even angrier.
They are the court officials of the Ming Dynasty. How could they allow the emperor to be scolded for cutting the salaries of the princes and clans due to lack of money?
But they have no way to make money.
Therefore, it seemed to become a consensus among everyone that Chongzhen should be scolded.
They even said they were sorry for this...
How could Chongzhen not be angry?
Xie Sanbin lowered his head and looked around. Seeing that no one else had any intention of taking action, he weighed the pros and cons and took a half step forward with his knees: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to make."
"Speak!" Chongzhen was still furious.
"Salt tax is an important tax in our dynasty, and its collection has always been stable. But in the past ten years since our dynasty, the amount of salt tax collected in coastal areas, especially in the south of the Yangtze River, has been decreasing year by year! I think... we can send a capable minister to the south to inspect the salt and make up for the deficit of the court!" Xie Sanbin said with his head down.
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